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Connections

post #1 of 7
4/20/09 at 11:50am
Thread Starter 
I'm a HT newbie and have seen several recommendations on how best to connect a HT system. Some say to connect everything to the TV and then connect the TV to the reciever while others say to connect everything (via hdmi) to the receiver. What's the best way to do this? My system will include:

Samsung LCD TV
Onkyo 706 receiver
Cable box
Blue Ray player
Xbox
CD Player

Thanks!
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post #2 of 7
4/20/09 at 12:29pm

Re: Connections

Hi Jerry,

Quote:
Originally Posted by ocjdf
I'm a HT newbie and have seen several recommendations on how best to connect a HT system. Some say to connect everything to the TV and then connect the TV to the reciever...


Who says that? With that method, there is no way to get the sound back to the receiver.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ocjdf
What's the best way to do this? My system will include:

Samsung LCD TV
Onkyo 706 receiver
Cable box
Blue Ray player
Xbox
CD Player

Thanks!

Connect the HDMI out from the Onkyo 706 to your TV.
Connect your Blu-Ray and Cable box to the 706 with HDMI.
Connect the XBox to the 706 with HDMI (if its 360) or component and optical cable.
Connect the CD Player to the 706 with digital or analog connection (or, use the Blu-Ray player to play CDs).

If you want to watch TV without the receiver turned on, you will have to make connect the Cable box directly to the TV using HDMI, and add a separate digital connection to the 706 for when you want listen through the receiver.
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post #3 of 7
4/20/09 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Connections

Thanks David!!
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post #4 of 7
4/20/09 at 3:44pm

Re: Connections

The only thing that I’d add to David’s post, is that it is possible to connect some displays (ones that have an audio output) to a receiver.

However with almost any display (and all with which I am familiar) this will be counter-productive, as these displays won’t pass the newer, lossless audio formats and further most won’t pass anything along but stereo in any case.

Display audio circuits are not nearly so sophisticated as those in receivers or CD or DVD or BD players, so except in the case where the display just passes along the signal untouched, connecting to a display and then to a receiver is a poor choice. And even in the case where the audio signal is passed along untouched—what is the point?

As David asks, “who is saying that?”
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post #5 of 7
4/20/09 at 3:45pm

Re: Connections

And welcome to the forum Jerry.
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post #6 of 7
4/20/09 at 4:44pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Connections

I went into a local Howards store and the sales rep was telling me that. I got the feeling he was pretty new and didn't really know what he was talking about.

So I'm clear...if I want the ability to sometimes watch tv without going through my receiver AND the ability to sometims watch tv via my receiver, I need to run a HDMI cable from the cable box to the TV and another HDMI cable from the cable box to the receiver??

Also, do the connections change at all if the cable box is a combination cable box/DVR?

Thanks again!
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post #7 of 7
4/20/09 at 5:36pm

Re: Connections

Quote:
Originally Posted by ocjdf
I went into a local Howards store and the sales rep was telling me that. I got the feeling he was pretty new and didn't really know what he was talking about.

So I'm clear...if I want the ability to sometimes watch tv without going through my receiver AND the ability to sometims watch tv via my receiver, I need to run a HDMI cable from the cable box to the TV and another HDMI cable from the cable box to the receiver??

Also, do the connections change at all if the cable box is a combination cable box/DVR?

Thanks again!

Almost.... Connect the cable box to the TV via HDMI. Then run a digital connection (either optical or coax) to your receiver. The cable box will have only one HDMI out.

Example of an optical cable: http://www.monoprice.com/products/su...02&cp_id=10229
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